1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to an exercise apparatus. More particularly, the present invention relates to an exercise apparatus of the type wherein the user exerts muscle effort against the user""s own body weight resistance.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The United States Department of Health and Human Services has reported that as many as 250,000 human lives are lost annually in the United States as a result of a sedentary lifestyle or a lifestyle lacking in physical activity.1 Indeed, lack of physical activity is now considered as important a risk factor for heart disease as high blood cholesterol, high blood pressure, and cigarette smoking, not because physical activity is a potent panacea, but because the number of inactive or sedentary people is so large.2 The United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention further report that inactivity resulting from a sedentary lifestyle contributes to approximately one-third of all heart-disease related deaths and costs billions in medical care every year.3 
It has long been understood and it is now more or less undisputed that regular moderate physical activity and exercise can convey many important health benefits. From a public health standpoint, an increase in physical activity provides some level of protection from heart disease, hypertension, adult-onset diabetes, certain cancers, osteoporosis, depression, and premature aging, to name but a few ailments.4 In an effort to enable the public to increase its collective level of physical activity, myriad exercise apparatuses have been developed. Of the myriad exercise apparatuses that have been developed, many comprise a translational support platform or carriage for supporting the weight of a positioned user, which platform or carriage is selectively inclinable and which positioned user may dynamically move the weighted support platform or carriage to and fro by way of cord/pulley means for movement. Furthermore, it is noted that many of the exercise apparatuses comprising translational, inclinable, user-bearing carriages, are foldable or collapsible for easy storage or shipment of the respective exercise apparatus. Several of these known apparatuses are described hereinafter.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,658,327 (""327 patent), which issued to Thiede, discloses a Pull Type Exercising Device. The Pull Type Exercising Device comprises a pair of deck portions selectably disposed in extended end-to-end relation for use and which may be stored or shipped in adjacent relation. One end of the extended deck is supportable on the ground or floor with the opposite end thereof detachably engaging a selectable rung of a support ladder. A carriage travels along rails on the extended deck, and the carriage is movable with respect to the deck by means of pulleys connected thereto.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,892,404 (""404 patent), which issued to Martucci, discloses an Exercise Device. The Exercise Device comprises adjustable, variable length tracks having a first end supported on a supporting surface, and the other opposite second end being supported by a track elevator, for supporting the tracks in angular relation with the supporting surface. A carriage is movably mounted on the tracks for supporting the body weight of a user. Exercise-enabling structure is mounted in the area adjacent the second end whereby a user positioned on the carriage may engage the exercise-enabling structure and dynamically place his or her body weight in to and fro motion along the tracks via the carriage, thereby enabling exercise of every major muscle group. The Exercise Device may be further outfitted with cord/pulley means for movement for further enabling exercise of select muscle groups.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,004,801 (""801 patent), which issued to Campanaro et al., discloses an Isotonic Exercise Unit wherein a pair of rigidly connected spaced rails are selectively elevated at one end to define an incline. A flat carriage is rollable on the rails and further comprises pulley lines and a foot retainer for drawing the carriage and the body of a positioned user upward along the incline by the physical exertion of the user.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,101,124 (""124 patent), which issued to Mahnke, discloses a Pull Type Exercising Device. The Pull Type Exercising Apparatus comprises an inclined track assembly, the upper end of which comprises a pair of lockable guide sleeves, which telescopically receive the legs of a U-shaped track elevator member. Movement of the guide sleeves up and down the legs of the elevator member varies the angle of inclination of the track assembly. The user thus may position himself or herself on a carriage and exert forces against his or her own weight by pulling or pushing the carriage along the inclined track assembly.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,564 (""564 patent), which issued to Jaconsen, discloses an Adjustable Incline Traveling Platform Exercise Apparatus. The Adjustable Incline Traveling Platform Exercise Apparatus comprises a wheeled rolling platform which moves on an inclined frame and includes an adjustable arm cord mounting assembly. The arm cord mounting assembly includes a pair of elongated arm cords each entrained over a fixed pulley mounted in each adjustable upright corner post. An anchoring device attaches the cords to the mobile platform. The platform moves on the frame against a resistance force provided by the body weight of the user positioned on the platform and the upward angled slope of the incline frame.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,938,571 (""571 patent), which issued to Stevens, discloses a Folding Exercise Machine. The Folding Exercise Machine comprises a frame with parallel rails and a glide board slidably mounted upon the frame. The glide board further comprises a plurality of wheels defining concave surfaces in rolling engagement upon the parallel rails. The user, after positioning himself or herself upon the glide board, operatively moves the glide board by engaging cord/pulley means for movement and exerting muscular effort against the user""s own body weight resistance. The Folding Exercise Machine has folding structure intermediate the length of the parallel rails.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,967,955, which issued to Westfall et al. and assigned to Total Gym Fitness, Ltd. of West Chester, Pa., discloses a Collapsible Exercise Device. The Collapsible Exercise Device, more commonly known in the marketplace as the TOTAL GYM brand exercise apparatus, teaches an exercise apparatus comprising a vertical support member, first and second sets of rails adjustably supported by the vertical support member, a user support platform with rollers engaging the first and second sets of rails, pulley means, and cable connector means extending through the pulley means and connected to the user support platform. The cable connector means thus allow a user, positioned atop the user support platform, to dynamically vibrate the weighed support platform to and fro along the first and second sets of rails. To enable further exercise, the Collapsible Exercise Device may further comprise a foot rest at one end of the second set of rails, a foot harness attached to the cable connector means, and footholder or pull-up bars attachable to the first set of rails. As suggested by its title, the Collapsible Exercise Device is foldable to allow for easy storage.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,015,369, which issued to Rasmussen, discloses a Fitness Sled Exercise Machine. The Fitness Sled Exercise Machine comprises frame members which support a rail, which rail is attached to a foldable frame standard. The rail directs and contains the reciprocal travel of a body bearing carriage. Machine motion is vibrational in nature, beginning at a point of origin, translating to a point of differing elevation, and returning to its point of departure. A user employs muscular effort of the arms or legs to move the carriage against gravitational forces. A system of levers, pulleys and lines function to convert arm and leg muscular forces to carriage motion. The frame standard is 90 degrees foldable for shipping, but may be locked in vertical position for operation.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,024,677, which issued to Siwertz, discloses an Apparatus for Physical Exercise. This invention comprises a support wherein a sliding seat is supported on a rail, the rail being adjustable to permit the seat sliding travels in desired angles to a horizontal plane, and two pulley cables are attached in the support and longitudinally adjustable. The load of the pulley cables being adjusted as desired by threading the cables in alternative running paths in the apparatus, and through which pulley cables the user moves his body along the rail while resting on the seat for training the muscles of arms, legs and body exclusively against the load of his own body weight.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,238,322, which issued to Hsu, discloses an Exercise Machine Having a Sliding Seat Selectively Coupled to a Sliding Damping Member. This invention comprises a frame on which a load mechanism and a sliding seat pad are mounted. The load mechanism is formed of a damping member and a slide member fastened with the damping member. The sliding seat pad has a link portion. The slide member is provided with a traction portion capable of coupling and uncoupling with the link portion of the sliding seat pad. The frame is further provided with a pull cord capable of pulling the seat pad at the time when the pull cord is pulled.
Of the numerous exercise apparatuses that have been developed, many enable muscular exercise by way of providing varying levels of body weight resistance. In this regard, it has been shown that exercise apparatuses are known in the prior art in which a user, positioned on a reciprocating support platform or carriage, may translate the support platform back and forth or dynamically vibrate one""s supported body weight to and fro along a selectively inclinable track, thus exercising those muscle groups enabling movement. The user may thus orient his or her person in a variety of positions on the support platform and engage varying exercise enabling structures with select body parts to operatively translate the weighted support platform and thus isotonically train multiple muscle groups. Further, it has been shown that the prior art teaches inclined ramp exercise apparatuses, which may fold or collapse for easy storage.
In addition to often being exorbitantly priced, the numerous exercise apparatuses that have been developed are often cumbersome to practice or require a large amount of free space in which to operate in a given exercise setting. Further, the numerous exercise apparatuses that have been developed often do not fold or collapse into compact, nested arrangements for shipment or storage. It is further noted that tools are often required to assemble various structures of the prior art exercise apparatuses from a shipped state. Further, tools are often required to disassemble or collapse the prior art exercise apparatuses into a collapsed state, which state is virtually identical to the shipped state.
In this regard, it is noted that none of the prior art cited teaches an exercise apparatus comprising a pair of parallel riser members, which riser members define a carriage assembly-receiving track. It is further noted that none of the prior art teaches a foldable or collapsible exercise apparatus in which the carriage assembly-receiving track nestedly houses or accepts the entire carriage assembly when in a collapsed state for shipping or storage. Still further, it is noted that none of the prior art teaches an exercise apparatus, which may be assembled from a nested or shipped state without the use of tools, and then may be further collapsed back into a nested or shipping-like state without the use tools.
Still further, it is noted that none of the prior art teaches a parallel riser member assemblage, which assemblage provides attachment means for attaching arm or leg exercise-enabling structure, which attachment means is vertically variable at the user""s election, and which arm or leg exercise-enabling structure operates independent of cord/pulley means. It is further noted that none of the prior art comprises riser member support means, which riser member support means may collapse such that the riser member support means rest in immediate adjacency to the riser members or in nested relation to the riser members for enabling more convenient shipment or storage. It is further noted that none of the prior art teaches a riser member assemblage, which defines a carriage assembly-receiving track and which further comprises a plurality of cooperative riser aperture pairings for selectively elevating a riser member attachment end of the carriage assembly via a riser rod. Still further, it is noted that none of the prior art teaches a carriage assembly comprising a plurality of cooperative bar aperture pairings, which enable users to exercise varying muscle groups via a tubular exercise bar. Further still, the prior art does not teach the use of a reversible foot platform, which foot platform attaches to a foot platform end of the carriage assembly for supporting a user""s body weight when in an engaged superior position or for supporting the foot platform end in an elevated state when in an engaged inferior position.
The prior art thus perceives a need for an exercise apparatus, which is low in cost, easy to operate and requires a minimal amount of free space in which to operate in a given exercise setting. Further, the prior art perceives a need for an exercise apparatus comprising a multi-purpose riser member assemblage. In this last regard, the prior art perceives a need for a riser member assemblage, which primarily provides variable vertical support to a carriage assembly when in an operational state and primarily provides a sturdy structural housing for the carriage assembly and all peripheral attachments when in a collapsed state.
Further, the prior art perceives a need for an exercise apparatus, which may be assembled from a nested or shipped state without the use of tools, and the may be further collapsed back into a nested or shipping-like state without the use tools. Still further, the prior art perceives a need for a parallel riser member assemblage, which assemblage provides attachment means for attaching arm or leg exercise-enabling structure, which attachment means is vertically variable at the user""s election, and which arm or leg exercise-enabling structure operates independent of cord/pulley means. Further, the prior art perceives a need for riser assembly support means, which riser assembly support means may collapse such that the riser assembly support means rest in immediate adjacency to the riser members or in nested relation to the riser members for enabling more convenient shipment or storage. Further, the prior art perceives a need for a riser member assemblage, which defines a carriage assembly-receiving track and which further comprises a plurality of cooperative riser aperture pairings for selectively elevating a riser member attachment end of the carriage assembly in the carriage-assembly-receiving track via a riser rod.
Still further, the prior art perceives a need for a carriage assembly comprising a plurality of cooperative bar aperture pairings, which pairings enable users to exercise varying muscle groups via a laterally-insertable tubular exercise bar. Further, the prior art perceives a need for a reversible foot platform, which foot platform attaches to a foot platform end of the carriage assembly for supporting a user""s body weight when in an engaged superior position or for supporting the foot platform end in an elevated state when in an engaged inferior position.
Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus, which is low in cost, easy to operate, and requires only a minimal amount of free space in which to operate in a given exercise setting. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus comprising a multi-purpose riser member assemblage, which primarily provides variable vertical support to a carriage assembly when in an operational state and primarily provides a sturdy structural housing for the carriage assembly and all peripheral attachments when in a collapsed state to enable easier shipment and/or storage of the present invention. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus, which comprises a parallel riser member assemblage, which assemblage provides attachment means for attaching arm or leg exercise-enabling structure, which attachment means is vertically variable at the user""s election, and which arm or leg exercise-enabling structure operates independent of cord/pulley means. In this regard, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus with peripheral adjustable-height, direct tension cables for enabling appendage-dependent exercise. Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus, which may be assembled from a nested or shipped state without the use of tools, which exercise apparatus may then be further collapsed back into a nested or shipping-like state without the use tools.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus comprising riser assembly support means, which riser assembly support means may collapse such that the riser assembly support means rest in immediate adjacency to the riser members or in nested relation to the riser members for enabling more convenient storage and less costly shipping. It is a further object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus comprising a riser member assemblage, which defines a carriage assembly-receiving track and which further comprises a plurality of cooperative riser aperture pairings for selectively elevating a riser member attachment end of the carriage assembly in the carriage assembly-receiving track via a riser rod.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus comprising a carriage assembly, which, in turn, comprises a plurality of cooperative bar aperture pairings. Said pairings thus enable users to exercise varying muscle groups via a removably insertable tubular exercise bar. Further still, it is an object of the present invention to provide an exercise apparatus comprising a dual-purpose, reversible foot platform, which foot platform attaches to a foot platform end of the carriage assembly for supporting a user""s body weight when in an engaged superior position or for supporting the foot platform end in an elevated state when in an engaged inferior position.
To achieve these and other readily apparent objectives, the present invention provides a collapsible exercise apparatus, generally comprising a riser assembly, a carriage assembly, riser assembly support means, and peripheral attachments. The user of the present invention in an operational state may thus exert muscular effort against varying degrees of the user""s own body weight resistance to achieve some level of physical activity or as part of an otherwise regular exercise regimen.
The riser assembly generally comprises a pair of parallel, vertical riser members and riser spacer means for maintaining the riser members in parallel relation. The riser spacer means thus create and maintain a uniform rail-receiving track between the riser members. The riser members each have a superior riser end, an inferior riser end, and a plurality of equally-spaced, laterally-aligned riser-rod-receiving apertures between the superior riser end and the inferior riser end. Each riser member has a rear portion and a front portion. The riser-rod-receiving apertures are aligned so as to have cooperative riser aperture pairing. The riser aperture pairing is designed, in relevant part, to cooperatively receive a rail-riser rod.
The carriage assembly generally comprises a rail assembly and a seat assembly. The rail assembly comprises a pair of parallel, angled rail members, rail spacer means for maintaining the rail members in parallel relation, a riser-engaging end and a foot platform end. The angled rail members each have a guide wheel portion and a runner wheel portion. The riser-engaging end has a pair of laterally-aligned rail-rod-receiving apertures. The rail-rod-receiving apertures have cooperative rail aperture pairing, which pairing is designed to cooperatively receive the rail-riser rod. The riser-engaging end is thus received in the rail-receiving track and the rail-riser rod is selectively and removably inserted laterally through a user-selected cooperative riser aperture pairing and the cooperative rail aperture pairing. By thus inserting the rail-riser rod, the user removably attaches the carriage assembly to the riser assembly for enabling exercise by way of selective levels of body weight resistance.
The seat assembly generally comprises a body support platform and roller means for movement. The body support platform has a body contact upper portion and a rail-engaging lower portion, the rail-engaging lower portion having a pair of laterally-spaced roller means attachment portions and a hover portion intermediate the laterally-spaced roller means attachment portions. The laterally-spaced roller means attachment portions each have a plurality of runner wheels and a plurality of guide wheels attached thereto. The runner wheels are spatially located for operative engagement with the runner wheel portions and the guide wheels are spatially located for operative engagement with the guide wheel portions.
The riser assembly support means generally comprises a rear support assembly, a front support assembly and lateral support means. The rear support assembly comprises a pair of rear stabilizer members and a pair of rear stabilizer rods. The rear stabilizer members each have an anterior rear end and a posterior rear end. The anterior rear ends are pivotally attached to the rear portions at the inferior riser end of the riser members. The rear stabilizer rods each have a rear stabilizer member attachment end and a rear riser member attachment end. The rear stabilizer member attachment ends are pivotally attached to the rear stabilizer members. The rear riser member attachment ends are designed for releasable fastening attachment to the riser members, thus enabling users to orient the rear stabilizer members at right angles to the riser members for providing rearward support to the riser assembly.
The front support assembly comprises a pair of front stabilizer members and a pair of front stabilizer rods. The front stabilizer members each have an anterior front end and a posterior front end, the posterior front ends being pivotally attached to the front portions at the inferior riser end of the riser members. The front stabilizer rods each have a front stabilizer member attachment end and a front riser member attachment end, the front stabilizer member attachment ends being pivotally attached to the front stabilizer members. The front riser member attachment ends are designed for releasable fastening attachment to the riser members, thus enabling users to orient the front stabilizer members at right angles to the riser members for providing frontal support to the riser assembly. The lateral support means are removably affixed to the inferior end to provide lateral support to the riser assembly.
The rail-riser rod may be further defined by comprising an insertion end and a hand-grip end. The insertion end is designed for selective and removable lateral insertion through user-selected cooperative riser aperture pairing and the cooperative rail aperture pairing. The hand-grip end is preferably outfitted with a hand-grip for enabling easy manual insertion or removal of the insertion end.
The angled rail members of the rail assembly each further comprise a plurality of spaced, laterally-aligned exercise bar-receiving apertures between the riser-engaging end and the foot platform end for receiving a peripheral exercise bar for enabling further muscular exercises.
The riser assembly further comprises a peripheral appendage exercise assembly for enabling various further exercises. The appendage exercise assembly comprises a cord-riser rod and a pair of cord assemblies. The cord-riser rod may be selectively inserted laterally through user-selected cooperative riser aperture pairing. The cord-riser rod has laterally-aligned cord assembly attachment ends, which extend laterally from the riser members when selectively inserted therethrough. The cord assemblies each comprise cord-riser rod attachment means, a length of cord, and an appendage-engaging assembly. The appendage-engaging assemblies each further comprise an appendage-engaging portion and cord attachment means. The appendage-engaging portions may either comprise a hand-engaging grip or an ankle-encircling harness, depending on the exercise the user may wish to practice. At least two sets of cord lengths are contemplated, the use of which depends on the exercise the user may wish to practice; disclosed is a long set of cord lengths and a short set of cord lengths.
The foot platform end may further comprise roller means for movement and a reversibly insertable foot platform assembly. The foot platform assembly comprises a foot platform and a platform flange. The platform flange is inserted into a flange-receiving sleeve laterally disposed intermediate the angled members. Thus, the reversibly insertable foot platform may support a user""s body weight when in an engaged superior position, achieved by inserting the platform flange into the flange-receiving sleeve from a superior spatial location. The reversibly insertable foot platform may also support the foot platform end in an elevated state when in an engaged inferior position, achieved by inserting the platform flange into the flange-receiving sleeve from an inferior spatial location.
During shipment or when not in use, the present invention is foldable or collapsible, such that the entire carriage assembly and all peripheral attachments may be housed or nestedly received in the carriage assembly-receiving track, thus providing for a compact, nested arrangement for shipment or storage. In this last regard, vertically-oriented storage of the exercise apparatus may be more easily achieved. Further the riser assembly support means may be folded or collapsed to rest in snug adjacency to the riser assembly for easy shipment or storage. In this last regard, horizontal transferability of the collapsed present invention may also be more easily achieved.
Other objects of the present invention, as well as particular features, elements, and advantages thereof, will be elucidated in, or apparent from, the following description and the accompanying drawing figures.